From Day Player to Long-Running Character

[Contessa Donatella]

I think It might be fun to see how many actors we can come up with where the way they were hired turned out very differently. I have some to start us. Then, please join in!

ATWT's Ben Hendriksen, accepting the 2001 Best Daytime Emmy Actor, said that he was hired to play one day & thanked his blessed mother for scrimping to send him to Juilliard to study the classics.

 

GH's Carolyn Hennessey was hired for 2 days' work.

 

GH's Tristan Rogers was hired for 2 days' work.

 

GH's Valentin, James Patrick Stuart was hired for only 10 days of work.

 

AMC: When Susan Lucci accepted her Emmy she said that she was only supposed to be on every other Tuesday.

 

Y&R: Michelle Stafford was hired for three weeks.

 

Y&R: Tracey Bregman was hired for a summer story.

 

Y&R: Beth Maitland was hired for a summer story.

 

DAYS: Recently when talking about our losing Arleen Sorkin, John De Lancie remarked that he was hired for 1 week to play a psychopath. 

 

A Little Different: Santa Barbara's Eden & Cruz were never intended to be together. A & Marcy were playing around with subtext & showed something there!

 

A Little Different: Famous P&G Casting Director Betty Rea was trying to cast Morgan on GL & she auditioned Lisa Brown. Well she was not right for Morgan but Betty said that someone was going to snap her up. So, without a part for her, she hired Lisa Brown. Douglas Marland discovered her, named her his Muse & wrote 2 parts for her - Iva Snyder on ATWT & Nola Chamberlain on GL!

[Maxim]

Hunter Tylo started so under the radar in Bold. The first couple of months her character was just supporting Caroline and Ridge story and she was there on and off... her hair was mostly up and she wore a doctors coat. Then I could feel that they sensed what they had and BOOM she looked so much better with perfect hair and makeup and now wearing red dresses and looking very striking. She was slowly becoming leading. It was amazing.

BTW... great idea for a thread! 

[Soapsuds]

Dallas: Linda Gray as Sue Ellen

How did Linda say it? She was that female on the couch with no lines.

[Maxim]

Dynasty. 

They hired Joan Collins for a 5 episode stint and the ended up TAKING over the whole show.

[Contessa Donatella]

Now if we only knew what snappy retort she'd make about playing the first transgender character in All That Glitters!

[kalbir]

Y&R Eric Braeden was initially three months, then Bill Bell changed the storyline, and the rest is history.

[Vee]

One Life to Live. Roger Howarth as Frat Boy #2.

Bradford Anderson was supposed to die as Spinelli in his initial GH storyline. I knew instantly he would not (I will admit to having a crush on him in those early days; I like geeks, sue me).

Edited September 5, 2023 by Vee

[Soaplovers]

Grey's anatomy (kind of a soap).

Dr Addison was meant for a multi episode arc..and she ended up headlining a spinoff.

Another world

Alicia Coppola (Lorna) was recurring as Carl's hench woman and it was announced in late 1991 that she was leaving AW due to having no contract...and within weeks got a contract and the rest is history.

[Contessa Donatella]

God this is so fun! Okay, next, from a Michael Logan interview with Jane, Kin & Tony: 

TV Guide Magazine: Do you remember the first time you laid eyes on each other?

Elliot: I was already on the show when Tony came along. I tested with him and six or eight other guys who were up for the role of Mitch Williams. When you test, you're doing the same scene over and over and so often the actors will give similar readings. But when Tony came in, it was [her jaw drops open] "Wow! This is a horse of a different color!" In your audition you improvised something with a pen. What was it?

Geary: I was sitting at Tracy's desk, picked up a pen and started playing Tic Tac Toe, and Jane walked in, grabbed the pen out of my hand, finished the game and said, "I win!" And that set the tone for our entire real-life relationship. [Laughs] Nothing's changed.

TV Guide Magazine: Were you shocked Tony didn't get the part?

Elliot: No, because Gloria Monty created the Luke Spencer character right then and there. She saw a much better role for him.

Now, I know there is more to this because Luke himself was supposed to be short-term, do his deed & get killed off, right? so Tony Geary is a double whammy on this topic! (If I have Luke wrong, someone correct me.) 

Just read this: When he was wrong for Mitch they sent him away with no job. It was a month later that they called with Luke. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Donna L. Bridges
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[Liberty City]

General Hospital

• Kathleen Gati was only hired "for a few days" as Liesl Obrecht, and has remained as a recurring player since.
• Maura West was hired for five-episodes as Ava Jerome, and was upped to series regular before even beginning.

[DRW50]

Carolee Campbell was brought on as an extra/day player on The Doctors and her part was slowly built over a number of years.

[Broderick]

Doug Davidson (Paul Williams Y&R) stopped by Television City to pick-up Victoria Mallory from work, landed an under-5 role as Paul in May 1978, got a contract in early 1980, and stayed for about 40 years.  

Kate Linder [Esther, Y&R] got a non-speaking role as "Maid" in 1982, got a name when her co-star called her "Esther" during a scene, got a contract about 5 years later, and has been around for more than 40 years.  

[Efulton]

Another World had several.

Gail Brown (Clarice Hobson 1975-1986, 1989, 1993) was brought on for a few episodes.  Harding Lemay liked her uniqueness and developed the role further.

Anna Stuart (Donna Love 1983-1986, 1989-1999) auditioned for the role of Felicia.  Paul Rauch then cast her for a few episodes as Peter's sister and the rest is history.

Petronia Paley (Quinn Harding 1981-1987) was cast in the small role of Steve Frame's secretary.  Corrine Jacker then built a significant cast of black characters around her.

Brent Collins (Wallingford 1984-1988) was supposed to be killed off after a few episodes but someone fortunately saw the potential and we were blessed to watch his chemistry with Linda Dano and Stephen Schnetzer until his death.

Jackee Harry (Lily Mason 1983-1986) was only supposed to appear in a few episodes.  Thankfully we got to enjoy her for 3 years.

 

[YRfan23]

It's still very funny to me those 2 were friends IRL. Leslie and Paul as characters just seem worlds apart to ever picture them offscreen together as well...LOL 

anyways, Kimberlin Brown  was only suppose to play Sheila for a month when she came on Y&R in May 1990, but it turned into 3 more months then she was on contract by December 1990 and of course has been playing Sheila off and on for 33 years. (on both Y&R and B&B)

Scott Reeves was only suppose to be playing Ryan for 3 episodes in June 1991 then ended up playing him for the next decade, also Kristoff St. John (RIP) was only suppose to come on as Neil for about a month In February 1991  and played the role till his death in February 2019

[Broderick]

Oh, I agree.  I can't even picture them knowing each other.  But there was some complicating factor --- wasn't he a friend of Mark Lambert (Victoria Mallory's husband), and there was something wrong with a car or something, and Mark asked him, "Will you pick up my wife from Television City if you're not doing anything right now"? lol.